Reef Discussion

annajade

Member
Oct 31, 2018
2
0
Salinity Spike- Pale, Frantic Clown Fish!!!
my saltwater tank has been up and running for about a month now, but I only just added fish in today as I’ve been waiting to cycle the tank fully and get it adjusted.
My ammonia and nitrites are at 0ppm and my nitrates are between 0ppm and 5ppm.. the test isn’t very specific but it’s on the lower end- so I think it’s not a harmful amount.

I have two oscellaris clownfish, both juveniles that have only been in my tank for around 12 hours now. The larger one has been stressed all day, darting frantically around the tank, and swimming super fast.. the other one seems a lot more chill.

As I was about to get into bed tonight I had another look at my clowns and realised the bigger ones face had started to turn pale, and I could see it’s blood vessels.. I immediately panicked and started to test my water. My parameters were perfect- except for the salinity.
I had a huge salinity spike, my refractometer was measuring over 1.030ppm! I don’t know how this happened but I immediately topped it up with fresh water and bought the salinity down back to 1.024ppm. The fish seem to be less frantic but still pale in colour. What should I do moving forward? I am so stressed that I’m going to wake up to dead fish :( I don’t know how to make them feel better, and I don’t want to keep playing around with the water. I’m testing the salinity every half hour and keeping the lights turned off.

Will my fish be able to recover from this?
 

Sam Parker

Moderator
May 6, 2013
4,802
2,397
Geelong
Bit late now, but probably not a great idea to drop salinity that much in one hit. Slow and steady changes are good, if it were to happen again - drop salinity by 0.001/2 a day instead of one big hit.

Any images of the fish? Is a little odd that one is fine and the other is not, might be something else at play?
 

macca_75

Member
Apr 22, 2012
2,125
844
Just remember, as Sam says slow and steady.

Leave the lights off for a day.

What are your parameters currently? 1.030, whilst not ideal won't kill anything immediately. Salinity won't usually "spike" all of a sudden. What are you using for top off water? How long since you last tested Salinity?

It's not unusual for fish to panic (they usually hide) when first added to a tank.
 

annajade

Member
Oct 31, 2018
2
0
I figured out my mistake, I accidentally topped off the tank with the wrong container of water and put my mixed saltwater in instead of fresh water. The evaporation would’ve left more salt behind and so adding more made the salinity rise.

I brought it back down and it’s now 1.025ppm, both fish look so much better in colour and are no longer swimming around super fast, they’re exploring the tank again. I do notice that they are breathing a little fast but other than that they seem to be acting fine.

My parameters currently are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0-5ppm nitrate (need to get a more specific nitrate test) and 8.2 PH.
I will keep checking salinity and all my parameters through the day. Thanks for the response :)
 

macca_75

Member
Apr 22, 2012
2,125
844
Glad to hear it is back on track. The next bit of equipment you may want to consider investing in is a quality Auto Top off. Won't stop the issue if you put the wrong water in the reservoir but at least the change will be much slower. Also removes one of the most tedious of tasks so you have more time to sit back and enjoy.

Personally I recommend the Tunze 3155. There are so many different quality units out there, however this is a model and manufacturer that has stood the test of time for reliability. My unit is 10+ yrs old and still as good as the day I bought it.
 

Sam Parker

Moderator
May 6, 2013
4,802
2,397
Geelong
yep, that's an age old trick - topping off with salt water :)

Never mind, you did well to notice things weren't right and to instantly test your water - kudos!

ATO would be a great addition as topping off that evaporated water will get tiring really quick